The Top Ten Trends in Online Education in 2013

Online education continued to grow, change and define itself in 2013.
Here’s what we’ve seen in 2013, as told through Aspire blog posts throughout the year.

1. What’s missing from a lot of online education? The education.
   For years we’ve heard about the capacity of online learning to level the playing field, reduce costs and give people around the world access to a top-notch education. But John LaBrie, dean of Northeastern University College of Professional Studies, says the technology has gotten in the way of the most important thing: the learning itself.
   
   
2. An idea whose time has come: online experiential learning
   The romantic notion that adults come back to higher education for personal enrichment and self-directed intellectual pursuits doesn’t hold water. Instead, the vast majority are in it for a better life, which almost always translates to enhanced career outcomes.
   
   
3. Observations on Online Experiential Learning
   Thinking about how to develop realistic opportunities for sharing, brainstorming and reflecting provides the backdrop for the integration of effective experiential into online courses.
   
   
4. What Motivates Higher Education Faculty to Teach Online?
   It turns out that motivation relies on the extent to which a faculty member believes online education will allow him to reach new or different students.
   
   
5. College at any price? Online education: opportunities and roadblocks
   On the one hand, technological advances have made online education more accessible and credible. On the other hand, those traditional higher ed channels are still the prevailing pathways to a bachelor’s or advanced degrees, and, for the most part, they’re not cheap.
   
   
6. Blending On-Site and Online Education
   Does the idea of dividing your learning experience between the Internet and a bricks-and-mortar institution appeal to you?
   
   
7. Back to the Future: How Online Tools Can Help Instructors Get Back to What They Love
   Why struggle with managing in-person class time and have students wrestle with cognitive overload?
   
   
8. The Online Ed Bubble: The Next Big Bust?
   There’s a growing dot-edu bubble, and, unlike the rising tuition figures associated with traditional, on-campus education, it could be on its way to bursting.
   
   
9. Online Ed: The Quality vs. Cost Equation
   Online education can be good or cheap, but not both.
   
   
10. Online Degrees Make for Strong Employees
    Why do online ed grads make great hires?
    

What do you see as the top trends in online education in 2013? Share your thoughts.